Media Recipe

Who says chili has to be a cool weather dish? Pack your chili with loads of vegetables, give it a “meaty” texture thanks to steel cut oats (yes, steel cut oats!), spice it up with herbs and Latin spices, and top it with farm fresh avocados and green onions, and you’ve just discovered your next warm weather, rustic meal. Serve it with salad and cornbread and you’re all set!

Stir well to combine, cover, and simmer for an additional 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until beans, oats, and vegetables are tender. May need to add additional water lost to evaporation. Should make a thick stew-like texture.Before serving, stir in lemon juice and add hot sauce to achieve desired level of spiciness. Season with salt as desired (optional).

Here’s how you rethink your plate: a fresh green salad and whole grain pizza all in one meal that you can whip up in 40 minutes. Now that’s quick and delicious eating for even the busiest night of your week! Pair it with my hearty Red Lentil Soup with Root Vegetables for a completely satisfying meal.

Preheat the oven to 350°f (180°c). Roll out the pizza dough to fit a 14-inch pizza pan or pizza stone. Sprinkle the pan or stone with cornmeal and fit dough on top.

Spread the marinara sauce onto the dough and sprinkle the oregano and plant-based cheese over it. Place the pan or stone in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and firm to the touch.

At the last minute before serving, remove the crust from the oven and top with the arugula and baby spinach, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, and pistachios. The greens will wilt quickly.

Drizzle with the vinegar and olive oil. Serve immediately.

Note: Omit the plant-based cheese, if desired.

Variation: Substitute other firm greens, such as baby kale or chopped collard greens, for the arugula and baby spinach.

This cool, classic Spanish style soup is delicious even on the hottest of days. Packed with the vibrant flavors of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs, it’s a wonderful appetizer or veggie-rich meal accompaniment. This recipe is as easy as it gets—toss the ingredients in the blender and push the button!

Red beans over rice are a Southern favorite, and here, some ground beef and spinach are added as well. Finely chopping the spinach adds the extra nutritional value of green vegetables without changing the customary ﬂavor of the dish. Recipe courtesy of Center for Ecoliteracy.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, diced

1 pound lean ground beef

1 bunch spinach, stemmed and finely chopped

1 – 1 ½ cups canned chopped tomatoes and their juices

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 16-ounce cans red beans, drained

Instructions:

In a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.

When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the beef, and cook until opaque, about 6 minutes, stirring to crumble the meat.

Add the spinach, and cook, turning, until wilted, about 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of the tomatoes and their juice, the salt, pepper, and chili powder. Reduce the heat to low and cover.

Simmer to allow the flavors to blend, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining tomatoes and stir in the beans, cover, and cook another 5 minutes. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

Fideo is a favorite pasta of Mexican cooking. The fine, thin pasta comes in coils, like angel hair pasta. It is typically sautéed in oil for a few minutes, then cooked directly in the sauce, rather than separately in water as is traditional with Italian pasta. However, spaghetti also works with the flavors of chorizo (the spicy Hispanic sausage), and the other sauce elements of this recipe. Finely chopped kale adds some greens without altering the tomato-chili flavors. Recipe courtesy of Center for Ecoliteracy.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 dried ancho peppers

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 cup low-fat chicken broth

1 cup whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juices

1 cup kale, stemmed and finely chopped

Kosher or coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 ounces fideo or whole wheat spaghetti noodles

½ pound chorizo, cooked and crumbled

2 ounces queso fresco, crumbles

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions:

Place the ancho peppers in the hot water and soak until soft, about 20 minutes.

When soft, remove the stems and seeds and chop into small pieces.

Set aside.

Discard the water.

In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 1 minute.

Stir in the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, reserved peppers, and kale.

Cover and reduce the heat to low.

Simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Break the fideo coils into 3 or 4 pieces and add directly to the simmering sauce, stirring them in.

Cover and cook until the fideo is tender and most of the sauce absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the chorizo.

If using spaghetti noodles, cook separately in boiling salted water.

Serve garnished with the cheese and cilantro.

Serves 3-4

SUGGESTION: To change the flavor profile to Mediterranean, use mild Italian sausage

instead of chorizo, a few red pepper flakes instead of the soaked ancho peppers, and

garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley instead of queso fresco and cilantro.

These easy delicious burrito bowls are full of veggies and tomato goodness. Quick to the table for a great weeknight meal that the kids will love. Full of fresh ingredients and no need to stop at the local takeout restaurant.

Switch out your pizza from Italian to Mexican with this South of the Border recipe. Use traditional pizza crust – just add beans, corn, peppers, taco seasoning, salsa and cheese. Is it Taco Tuesday or Pizza Friday? You decide.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

For the pizza crust*:

2 ½ cups whole wheat/enriched flour blend

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

¾ cup + 1/8 cup water (warmed to 130° F)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cornmeal

For the toppings:

1 ¼ cups tomato sauce

2 1/2 cups refried beans

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons taco seasoning, divided

1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed (preferably low-sodium)

1 cup diced green bell peppers

2 ½ cups diced canned tomatoes, drained

2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 ¼ cups prepared salsa (preferably low-sodium)

Instructions:

Prepare the pizza crust. Place flour, salt, sugar, and dry yeast in large mixer bowl.

Mix with a dough hook for 30 seconds on low speed.

Whisk together the warm water and oil. Add liquids to the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from the mixer and gently shape into a large ball. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before stretching.

Lightly coat a large sheet pan (13”x18”x1”) with cooking spray. Sprinkle pan with cornmeal and set aside. Place dough ball in center of pan and flatten dough by rolling or spreading with fingers to the rim of pans. Keep edges thicker than center to create a crust when baked.

Prepare the pizza toppings. Heat tomato puree and refried beans in saucepan over medium heat. Mix well to combine and season with 2 tablespoons taco seasoning.

In a separate pan, place the corn, green peppers, diced tomatoes and remaining 2 teaspoons taco seasoning in a large skillet.

Your family will never know there’s a mouthful of vegetables in every bite of this delicious lasagna dish fresh from the garden with a creamy mixture of cheese and whole wheat noodles. Whether the veggies are from your garden or farmers’ market, it’s hard to find a healthier lasagna recipe that will be a crowd pleaser!

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 pound 4 ounces whole wheat lasagna noodles uncooked

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 ½ cups shredded carrots

2 ½ cups spinach leaves

1 cup diced onion

5 cups low-sodium tomato sauce

¼ cup low-sodium tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 ½ cups reduced fat cottage cheese

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water (may add salt) to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender, about 10-12 minutes or according to manufacturers directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet and add the onion, shredded carrots and spinach. Cook until vegetables are heated through and onion is translucent. Drain off any excess liquid.

Place the tomato sauce and tomato paste in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk until fully combined then add in the oregano and granulated garlic. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, dried parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well to combine.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a large lasagna pan. Layer with a single layer of noodles, ¼ of the carrot and spinach mixture, ¼ of the cheese mixture, and another layer of tomato sauce. Continue to create three additional layers ending with a single layer of noodles and remainder of sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each pan of lasagna and cover with foil.

Bake in a conventional oven at 375°F for 50 minutes; convection oven at 350°F for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Slice into individual servings and serve.